Hydrangea
by Triade
Summary: Frigidness, heartlessness. Heartfelt gratitude. Understanding. A hydrangea can mean many things. But like people, only one of those was given with intention. Kakashi comes to learn its meaning better than anyone. (Eventual KakashixOC)
1. Petals of Blue, Hair of Blue

**A/N: It's been a while since I've considered writing for Naruto but since the series is now over, I feel as if I have the information I need to start. Plus, there aren't many Kakashi fics out there. This is NOT a self insert character and I promise I'll do my best to stay away from Mary Sueisim.**

**Still, this is kind of tester chapter. We'll see how well-received this is, I'm mostly curious. **

* * *

It was raining at his fathers' funeral.

Rain seemed so cliché. He tried not to focus on the fact that his father, the Legendary White Fang, was dead and instead thought about the rain. It was cold and windy, the rain coming down in sheets. The kind of rain that felt like ice but trickled into every crevice with reaching fingers. The chill bit at his arms and legs, which had long since gone numb, kneeling at the side of the freshly buried grave. He didn't know how long he'd been sitting here, only that everyone had left long ago. He vaguely remembered their offers of places to stay and whatever comfort, and pity, they had offered.

He didn't want any of that. He didn't want their pity, the way they looked at him – like he was broken.

His father had committed suicide. He was weak, Kakashi tried to tell himself, tried to be angry because that way it wouldn't hurt so much. But it still did and his own weakness infuriated him. So consumed by his conflict, Kakashi failed to notice the soft steps of someone approaching until a bouquet of hydrangeas filled his vision. Reacting on instinct and surprise, Kakashi swung a kunai in the person's direction. He fully intended to stop before connecting but the person caught his arm easily. Astonished, Kakashi looked into the face of a young girl, perhaps his age. Her eyes were blue-gray, steely and light and the lower half of her face was covered in a mask similar to his own. Her clothes were non-descript but looked worn and well-made, though she was well bundled up. A young kunoichi?

She said nothing and neither did he once he saw the flowers in her hands. He turned away, expecting her to place them on his fathers' grave. There were a few bouquets there, their petals being destroyed by the rain. They wouldn't last long. He glanced up when he felt eyes on him and he realized the girl was staring at him, her brow furrowed. When Kakashi met her eyes, irritated by the scrutiny, she tossed the flowers at him. Catching them out of habit, he frowned.

"Why are you giving them to me?" His voice came out more bitter than he intended. The girl looked unfazed and only gestured to the gravestone.

"The White Fang had his share. I think these ones should go to you." Her voice was very soft, unemotional. With the tension and high emotions of the previous few days, the tone was almost refreshing. He'd had enough of crying and well-wishers. He quietly nodded and she dipped her head in goodbye. When she glanced at the grave, he caught the smallest hint of her face turning contemplative before she turned and trotted away. He could only watch as her deep blue hair and black clothing merged with the rain and disappeared altogether.

_Who was that?_ He wondered, bemused. He'd never seen her before but then again, his father had been very well-known yet it was surprising to see someone so young. As he glanced down at the flowers, a flash of white caught his eye. Tucked amongst the blue blooms, was a letter. Kakashi pulled it out and flipped it over. It was unmarked, save for his name written in neat lettering across the top. He didn't recognize the handwriting. Struck with simple curiosity, the first real thing he'd felt for what seemed like forever, he opened it. A single page fell into his lap, the water droplets staining the whiteness of the paper. Kakashi did his best to shelter it as he read.

_You do not know me but I have to tell you what your father did was wrong. But it was what he chose to do. His actions have no bearing on you, Hatake. You are not him. You can choose to be whatever you like. _

_But I would ask that you don't completely throw your father out of your life either. For all he did, I know he was proud of you and what you accomplished. And above all, he knew how strong you would become. _

_ Just don't become strong in a bad way. _

_ A friend_

_ -N_

After he had finished, Kakashi couldn't decide whether he was touched, appalled or furious. He settled on a bit of all three. He had no clue who 'N' was but they had to have known his father. It couldn't have been that girl because he'd never seen her before. How had they gotten so much information on him and his father?! But as he sat, staring at the muddy earth under his feet, the blue petals of the hydrangeas melting into the muck, he realized he was grateful.

Everyone compared him to Sakumo. They looked alike, they acted alike. When he was much younger, Kakashi had appreciated the attention until he was old enough to realize he was living in the very large shadow of his fathers' reputation. All of his achievements were somehow linked to his father, as if Kakashi was just a part of Sakumo. Even now, he couldn't stand their pity or the fact that just because his father chose the cowards way out, he might do the same. But whomever N was, they obviously felt differently. They wrote to him, as Kakashi – a person with his own way of life, not one defined by his fathers' actions. And they were right. What he chose to do now was entirely up to him.

Folding the letter carefully and tucking it into his pocket, Kakashi gave his fathers' grave on last look. Sakumo was a disgrace to the code and Kakashi was determined not to be the same. Feeling more reassured by his resolve, Kakashi rested the flowers over his shoulder and made his way back to the village. It was time to move on and hopefully, find an apartment of his own.

It would be quite some time before he ever learned whom the note came from.


	2. Defenses

It was a beautiful day in Konoha. The weather had finally cleared up after another bout of rain, leaving the air fresh and only a few clouds brushed across the blue sky. Which meant it was neither too hot or too cold and thus a perfect day for a lesson. Kakashi reclined against the trunk of a tree, absently twirling a kunai. Strangely peaceful.

"What do you think Minato-sensei is going to teach us today?!"

Kakashi sighed. He'd been enjoying the silence since he got here early. He was still having trouble believing that this idiot and that timid girl where on the same team as him. They had been nothing but hindrances since day one. Also this was the second time they were late. But he supposed they were somewhat useful if they could at least put some effort into getting that bell…

"Oh! Good morning Kakashi-kun!" Rin spotted him up in the tree and called out. He sighed yet again. There went his hopes of a bit of quiet. Kakashi reluctantly separated himself from the branches and leapt down to join the two. Obito, as usual, gave him a glare as soon as he appeared. The Uchiha had it out for him because Rin had an obvious crush and he had an obvious crush on her. It was petty and obvious and he didn't care so Kakashi ignored the black haired teen.

It was good Minato-sensei appeared right then because Obito was about to open his mouth. In a flash, much like his nickname, their yellow-haired teacher appeared in front of them. It was then Kakashi found a chakra signature that he didn't recognize. Faint but very steady. Who was that? He immediately tensed up, expecting some form of attack, and Minato chuckled.

"Good senses Kakashi-kun. It's nothing you need to worry about though." Their sensei said and Kakashi saw Obito and Rin share a confused glance. He almost wanted to roll his eyes. It took a moment before Rin noticed the foreign chakra as well. She blinked in surprise. Obito, though, he didn't look like he sensed anything. Kakashi let out an aggravated sigh as their teacher turned to look at the forest.

"Nariko-chan you can come out now."

At Minato's call, a young girl appeared out of the trees. Kakashi's breath left his lungs in surprise. It was that girl! That girl who showed up to his fathers' funeral a year ago! A shock of deep blue hair framed a round face, although most of her features were obscured by a mask and a deep hood. A sword was strapped to her waist and a headband was tied loosely around her neck. She had passed the academy then – probably a genin by the chakra signature. So why had he never seen her before?

"You look confused Kakashi." Minato said, putting his hand on the girls' shoulder briefly. She, Nariko, said nothing, only tilted her up head up slightly in his direction. The beginning of a ponytail followed the movement.

"…We've never met her before. Didn't she go to the academy?" Kakashi asked. He glanced at Rin and Obito for conformation – perhaps she was younger than him.

Rin only shook her head.

"I haven't met Nariko-san."

"Me neither. Hey, did you move here or something?" Obito asked. Kakashi supposed he was trying to sound friendly as the boy walked up to the strange girl. Nariko turned sharply in his direction, eyes glinting. To Kakashi's surprise, Obito immediately stopped. He didn't know the guy had a sense of danger.

"Nariko-chan… is a special case." Minato said, dropping his hand as she turned to observe them. She settled into a lazy combat stance, alert but relaxed. Kakashi quietly sized her up as she moved. Definitely a Genin – the way she awaited orders and stood reminded him a bit of himself. And a special case? That could mean any variety of things. But the way she was covered head to toe…

"From one of the clans?" Kakashi asked. That would explain why he saw her around only once before. Some were notoriously secretive and voraciously protective of their members. He wasn't aware of any clans of Konoha with her features. Gray eyes were not uncommon and the deep navy blue hair wasn't either. She could have been from outside of Konoha then.

"Perhaps." The girl answered him, turning in the direction of his voice. She didn't elaborate further, which only served to irritate him. Obito grinned, having picked up on Kakashi's anger rather than immediate danger of an unknown genin. The Uchiha whirled on the girl and Kakashi half-expected her to attack him on the spot. Despite his irritation, he was sort of hoping she would. Instead she gave him a vague, unimpressed look.

"Hey, hey, that's amazing! You got under his skin so easily. How did you do that? Are you here to join us-" Before Obito could launch into a full tream of questioning, Minato stopped him. Thankfully.

"Nariko-chan is just here to train with us today Obito-kun. Please try not to overwhelm her."

The girl did not look overwhelmed but then again, Kakashi really couldn't decipher her facial expressions at all. Her stance had not changed an iota though. Unfazed by his assessment, she stared back at him for a long moment. Kakashi straightened somewhat under her scrutiny, more alert than before and somewhat eager to test her abilities for himself. If Minato had brought her along to train, than she must have some worth.

"Oh. Well that's cool too." Obito said, blinking in surprise and looking a little deflated.

"Are you going to be joining our team for the lesson?" Rin asked softly. The blue-haired girl shook her head quietly and then tilted her face up towards their teacher in question.

"She will not be joining your team – rather all three of you will be facing her as an opponent." The girl bobbed her head in quiet agreement, reaching up to tug the hood off.

It was startlingly silent as the three of them processed this information. Kakashi immediately took to strategy. If Minato-sensei was proposing all three of them fight one girl than she must either be very talented or have a special skill of some kind. Therefore, he paid special attention to the moment when she pulled the hood off and drowned out Obito's alarmed and rather, condescending remarks. Rin, ever the kind one, looked torn between wariness and concern. As the hood fell, Kakashi frowned.

Her eyes were normal, if not a little more silver than he originally thought. There was no special bloodline of the eyes then. But the way she stared at each of them for a moment, her face contemplative, seemed to suggest otherwise. Did her ability have something to do with her skin? Really only her eyes and forehead were uncovered. The rest of her was completely swathed in layers of dark cloth. Kakashi filed that away as a possible weakness. So much cloth in the way would hinder movement. He met her eyes readily when they fell on him and he could've sworn he saw her expression cloud but it was gone as soon as she looked elsewhere. After a moment or two she glanced back up at Minato-sensei.

"I'm ready." Nariko said impassively.

"All right then. The lesson today is simply: defeat Nariko-chan!" Minato called and then vanished into a puff of smoke, reappearing at an observational distance some ways away. Kakashi prepared himself and was unsurprised when Obito charged right at her. A similar tactic of fighting their teacher might be of benefit to him – let Obito and Rin fall back first so that he could fight without limits. Perhaps Obito could serve as a suitable distraction for finding out what her power really was.

Going for a frontal attack, Obito gave a rather stupid war cry. Nariko did not even flinch until he was close enough that she could step neatly out of the way. When he turned to catch her, Nariko twisted to vault off his shoulder with a neat jump. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the easy way she unbalanced him, expecting her to attack back while Obito was stunned. Instead, she simply fell back into an easy stance.

"Hey, you're pretty fast." Obito said, his bluster fading somewhat. The girl only shrugged, her gray eyes fixated on them. So her goal was not to defeat them? Kakashi glanced once at Minato-sensei who only smiled. The goal of the lesson was to defeat her but she could only retaliate directly. A lesson about what? Kakashi failed to see the point – if they were against a real enemy, the enemy would go for the kill. Nariko turned to look at him slightly and Kakashi hung back whilst Obito attempted a different tactic: fireball jutsu.

Instantly Nariko turned in his direction, her hands falling into a flurry of handseals – the speed of which impressed even Kakashi. Even though Obito had the head start, both of them finished their respective jutsu at the same time.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

"Earth Release: Earthen Pillar!"

A giant spike of rock shielded Nariko from the blast, deflecting the worst of Obito's technique. Rin gasped quietly as Obito stumbled backwards. Obito's fireballs had gotten bigger, Kakashi noted, though it didn't matter much as Nariko stepped out of the way of the crumbling pillar, unscathed. Now the clear question came to him: how had their new opponent been able to react so quickly and know instantly what type of chakra release to use? It had to be an ability of some kind. A sensor of some sort? He would have to know more before he could come up with a solution. And for that… he huffed. Teamwork it was then.

While Obito distracted Nariko, making absolutely no progress whatsoever, Kakashi turned to Rin. Making a gesture with his hand, Rin nodded seriously but still glanced in Obito's direction with concern. Kakashi retreated to the glade's outer circle as Rin went the opposite way. He'd have to give Rin some time to finish her trap so he watched more carefully for any hint of exploitation. Obito had resorted to less ninjutsu and appeared to be attacking with kunai. Nariko deflected a couple with her own and twisted around the rest. He was getting nowhere with this tactic as well. Nariko had obviously been well-trained in normal combat in addition to whatever ability she possessed. He was curious (as well as suspicious) to why they had never met her before this. He probably would have remembered someone with some talent at the academy. Not only that but he couldn't even recall seeing her before his father's funeral.

A birds' call rang across the clearing, breaking Kakashi from his musing. Rin was ready. He tensed as a string of explosive tags hit the ground between Obito and Nariko. The two combatants broke apart and he saw Obito tumble out of the explosion. He drew his sword and leapt at the figure in the dust, who had a hand over their eyes. Nariko twisted to block but he side-stepped to follow her before resting the blade at her collarbone.

"You lose." He said as she froze. To be honest, Kakashi was a little disappointed. Such a simple trap really… Rin leapt down next to Obito to beam at him but then she blinked in confusion. Kakashi felt the point of the kunai on his neck and lowered his sword when the person in front of him disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Substitution. Of course. But when had she gotten behind him? Nariko said nothing and Kakashi did not either.

It wasn't like he hadn't planned for this or anything. A secondary group of tags, having been left there upon his approach, went off. Kakashi felt Nariko leap backwards to avoid them and he flanked to the right. Coming out from around the other side of the dust, he saw Nariko looking immediately in his direction, her hands forming another handseal. Kakashi twisted to the left to place an open strike on her still mid-air side but she had finished before he was able. As another Earth Pillar deflected another volley of tags and his attack, Nariko jumped up the side of it to land in the trees. Kakashi made to follow, thinking fast.

Somehow, Nariko had anticipated the two-pronged attack, down to the placement of the explosive tags. Not only that but in the dust, which made it hard for anyone to see, she had accurately followed his position. How?

Kakashi landed on a tree branch quietly and glanced around. Now where did she go? Recognizing the imperative to locate the enemy, Kakashi hid himself in a bundle of leaves. Nariko had the advantage to ambush though her purely defensive and reactionary style told him she probably would not capitalize on the opportunity. Disappointing but that made it no less important to locate her. He could feel Rin and Obito's chakra as they started moving into the woods but he discarded it, uninterested. Right now, they wouldn't be much help. He could feel her nearby. He shifted slightly, searching the thick trunks of the trees and their branches.

A flicker of movement caught his eye. There. Nariko had leapt from the branches onto the ground and she was looking right at him. There was no point in him hiding then. It was then that Kakashi noticed the ripped sleeve. He couldn't recall that particular detail from before. The tear was not from a weapon – instead, it looked like she had torn the sleeve herself. _Why tear a sleeve?_ Kakashi asked himself. There was only one clear answer.

Her skin was the feeding point of her ability. A sensor-type with the power to sense chakra with a great deal of accuracy. Strange. He didn't know of any clans with such a powerful bloodline ability.

Since there was obviously no value in an ambush, Kakashi leapt down from the trees to meet her head on. Nariko surveyed him quietly from where she was standing and he approached cautiously. Still on order to only retaliate it seemed, for she did not attack. They watched each other for a long moment as Kakashi strategized. Ninjutsu did not appear to be the best form of attack since she had the dexterity to perform it so quickly – almost on par with himself. His sword was a viable option though she was also equipped with a blade and she had shown enough skill with kunai for him to believe that she was at least somewhat skilled with it. Since hand-to-hand combat hadn't been tried yet, he settled on that idea.

Nariko followed his movements cautiously, her grey eyes shifting this way and that to keep him in view as he walked. There was no expression to betray what she was thinking. Even if he didn't know her, Kakashi had some respect for her control. She wasn't like Obito and Rin, who wore their hearts on their sleeves. Nariko was focused on her mission.

Kakashi paused for a breath, sheathing his blade. Then he charged. Immediately he noticed a change in Nariko. When Obito had done the same she had been able to get out of the way quickly, mostly due to Obito's ineptitude and half-hearted attempt. However, as soon as he reached her and blocked her immediate blow, Nariko tried to retreat backwards. Unfazed, Kakashi pressed forward, aiming a sweeping kick at her legs. She jumped easily to avoid it, landing some distance away. The fight continued in this pattern for some time. Instead of fighting back at close range, Nariko seemed to shy from it. Not only that, but she was also slowing down. An almost imperceptible shiver ran through her body as she deflected one of his kicks, only to take the punch to her forearm.

Nariko blocked the punch well though there was a definite tremor in her muscles now. So her weakness was taijutsu. Kakashi kept up the pressure and while her expression had not changed, she was struggling to keep up with him. The parameters of the fight Minato set must be keeping her from resorting to ninjutsu, he thought as Nariko deflected another blow with the bracer on her wrist. As it was there was really no point to keeping up the fight. Kakashi had every intention of finishing the fight when Obito's yell caught his attention. Nariko whirled around at his teammates charge, just barely managing to duck under the attack. Kakashi capitalized on her absence of attention to sweep her feet out from under her. Despite the blow meant to knock her on her back, Nariko managed to keep her balance enough just to collapse onto one knee. Finally, her expression changed somewhat as her brow furrowed and Kakashi heard the sharp pants under her mask.

"That's enough!" Minato-sensei's voice cut through the woods. Kakashi relaxed as Rin appeared with Minato-sensei not far behind. To his left, Obito was picking himself back up grumbling.

"That was cheating. I could've won right then."

Kakashi ignored him as Minato walked over to them. A soft ripple of movement caught his eye and he turned slight to see Nariko had pulled her hood back over her head and covered the ripped sleeve with her hand. As Minato clapped a hand over his shoulder, Rin walked over to Nariko and offered the other girl a hand.

"You're really good! I haven't seen anyone keep up with Kakashi-kun in a long time. I'm Nohara Rin by the way, I don't think we ever got the chance to introduce ourselves." Rin said kindly. "Are you hurt?"

"No." Nariko's voice was flat as she ignored Rin's hand and stood up on her own.

"Hey, hey – that's really rude!" Obito protested on Rin's behalf, Kakashi presumed, though Nariko ignored both of them entirely and instead turned her attention to their teacher.

"Am I finished here Minato-san?" She asked.

"You can go home now Nariko-chan. Thank you for your help today."

Kakashi was mildly surprised to hear the more-than-usual gentleness in his tone as Nariko nodded mutely. The girl turned to the trees and jumped away without another word.

"Rude." Obito said again and Rin seemed surprised to see her go so quickly.

"Maybe she was just rattled? Did she really get hurt?" Rin asked, turning to look at Kakashi. He shrugged. Bruises maybe, but he wasn't really putting his all into it when it was obvious she wasn't going to be able to keep up.

"Nariko-chan was just able to come for a few hours." Minato-sensei said and clapped Rin and Kakashi on the shoulders. "A good plan with the explosive tags, both of you. Obito, your fireball technique is getting stronger but… it would be good to perhaps work with the others."

"That's putting it nicely." Kakashi said, crossing his arms. "Obito was practically useless."

"Kakashi-kun!" Rin scolded as Obito glowered at him. Minato put a restraining had up to keep the Uchiha from leaping on him.

"So who was that? Does she come from the clans? I've only see her once before." Kakashi asked Minato.

"You could say that. What did you find out about her?" Minato asked the three of them.

"She was really fast. Had some crazy handsigns." Obito said after a moment of deep thought.

"Nariko-chan seemed to know where Kakashi-kun was at all times. Same with Obito." Rin added and they all turned to look at Kakashi.

"She was sensor-type. A strong one. Highly likely to be a bloodline ability. It appears to be connected in part to her skin which may explain why she couldn't keep up with the taijutsu." Kakashi said and Minato raised an eyebrow at his assessment. "What was the point of bringing her here if she couldn't fight back? A real enemy would not be so forgiving."

"Simply for what you've just said: observation." Minato said, unfazed by Kakashi's obvious jab. "You will encounter many different types of strategies and attacks. Being able to analyze the enemy and find a hole in their defenses is imperative."

"That's why you didn't want Nariko-chan to fight back. Because it was about defenses?" Rin said and Minato smiled at her.

"Right. Besides, she didn't have a whole lot of time to help out before she had to get back home." Minato said and looked up at the sky while Obito muttered something about wanting to beat her. Kakashi was mildly curious to know if the situation would have changed should she have decided to fight back. He still believed that would have been better. "Ah, but it looks like there's no time for another lesson. You can have the rest of the day to train yourselves as you see fit."

Obito visibly brightened and Kakashi rolled his eyes. How juvenile. Still, it gave him more time to work on that technique so….

"Yes sir."


End file.
